Digital inequality is relational and occurs along multiple fracture lines which demarcate social positioning.
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Digital technology does not just provide ‘solutions’ and ‘innovations’, but also produces and reproduces social orders.
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Individuals are not just users but also actors situated the intersection of various social structures and systems of power.
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An intersectional approach sensitises us to the positioning and subjectivity of individuals and groups in power structures.
Abstract
In this paper we ask the question “inequality of what” to examine the multiple inequalities revealed under the covid-19 pandemic. An intersectional perspective is adopted from feminist studies to highlight the intersection and entanglement between digital technology, structural stratifications and the ingrained tendency of ‘othering’ in societies. As part of a future research agenda, we propose that IS research should move beyond simplistic notions of digital divisions to examine digital technology as implicated in complex and intersectional systems of power, and improve our sensitivity to the positionality of individuals and groups within social orders. Implications for practice and policy are also discussed, including moving beyond single-axis analysis of digital exclusion.
